Method of repairing pneumatic tires



(No model.

G. D. RICE.

METHOD OF REPAIRING PNEUMATIC TIRES. 4 No. 475,343. Patented May '24, 1892.

'ilwrrnn STATES PATENT FFICEQ CHARLES D. RICE, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE POPE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD OF REPAIRING PNEUMATIC TIRES. I

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 475,343, dated May 24, 1892.

Application filed February 11, 1892. Serial No. 321,14Q- (N model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: filled to a degree of hardness needed to put Be it known that I, CHARLES DE Los RICE, it in condition for proper use to obtain the of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and advantages that reside in a properly con- State of Connecticut, have invented certain structed and filled pneumatic tire. 5 new and useful Improvements in Methods of In the practice of my invention a circular Repairing Pneumatic Tires for Vehicles, of pieceof the substance of the tire, including which the following is afull, clear, and exact the punctured part, is cut out, as by means of description, whereby anyone skilled in the a tubular cutter b, and as shown by the dotted art can make and use the same. lines at 00 in Fig. 1. By this means atapered to My invention relates to the general class of hole 0 is made in the wall, about as shown air-inflated tires that are used on the wheels at 03' in Fig. 1, and a sufficient quantity of of vehicles, and more especially on velociliquid rubber or other suitable cement is pedes. Such pneumatic tires are commonly smeared on the walls of the hole 0, and parmade with an outer covering or tread of inticularly about the inner edge of the hole, as t5 dia-rubher, an inner restraining-sack of canindicated at c. To fill this hole, I make use vas or like fabric and an inner inflatable of an elastic plug 01 made, preferably, of intube, and in some kinds of tires these sevdia-rubber and tapered, as shown in Fig. 3, eral elements are more or less intimately the plug being of propersize to fit snugly into united. In the use of such tires one of the the hole made by the cutter when the outer 7c 20 most serious objections is the liability to end projects beyond the surface of the tread. puncture, that enables the air to escape and There is a hole 01' lengthwise through the renders the tire comparatively useless. center of the plug, and through this a string The object of my invention is to provide a 6 extends, an expanderf being secured to the method of repairingsuch apunctured tirein a inner end of the string. The hole through 7 25 simple and durable manner, and my inventhe plug is made in molding the latter to tion consists in such method as more parshape, and it is quite small in size. The exticularly hereinafter described, and pointed pander is small at the upper end and is prefout in the claims. erably tapered from a somewhat wide body Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a depart to a point small enough to enable the o tail View, on enlarged scale in cross-section, of end to enter the hole in the plug somewhat a pneumatic tire, showing at several points easily. After the plug has been inserted in the several steps in the method of repair. the hole the expander is pulled up into the Fig. 2 is a detail view, in lengthwise central body of the plug a sufficient distance to exsection, of a tubular cutter. Fig. 3 is a depand it until the hole is yery snugly filled 3 5 tail side'view of a plug and expander. Fig. and a bulge (1 formed within the hollow tire 4 is a detail view, in central section, of the and close to the inside surface. The cement plug and expander shown in place in a tire. that has been smeared within the hole and on In the accompanying drawings, the letter a the plug fills the oint at the inner side of denotes a tubular tire made up of a series of the tire about the plug and securely packs o 40 layers of india-rubber or like elastic mateand closes it against any leakage of air, the

rial and a textile fabric, as thin canvas, the surface of the plug within the hole also belatter being preferably more or less intiing securely cemented to the wall of the hole mately united to the rubber within the mass that is plugged by it. The inner end of the of the wall of the tube. In case such a tire plug closes upon and behind the expander, 5 is punctured, as sometimes occurs when the so that it is held in place by this contraction tire is expanded and in use on a wheel, the of the elastic plug aswell as by the cement air escapes with greater or less rapidity, dethat glues the strlng in the hole (1. This repending on the size of the hole; but in most tention of the expander 1n place may also be cases the slightest opening through the wall aided, if desired, by providing it with engag- Ico I 50 of the tire is sufficient to allow the air to esing-points to anchor into the walls of the hole cape, so as to prevent the tire from being at. The pro ectmg outer end of the plug is out off flush with the surface of the tread, and as soon as the adhesive material used in the repairing has dried, (which should be effected within a few hours,) the tire may be inflated and used, as the plug will be so securely held in the wall of the tire as to form practically an integral part thereof.

My invention is not limited to the use of an elastic plug of india-rubber, although that material is preferred, nor to the use of any particular form of expander, nor means of introducing it, although the form and means shown and described are preferred as having worked well in practical tests made of the invention. Nor is it essential to the embodiment of .my invention that the opening in the plug should extend completely there through, as a good result can be obtained by making an expander-socket within the substance of the plug and forcing the expander in from either end, and I do not limit myself to the particular construction of the expander-socket that is herein illustrated;

I have found by experiment that it is desirable to provide means for locating the expan'der within the plug at a certain distance, and this is conveniently done by making a knot in the string that shall serve as a gageknot, the expander being inserted until this 0 knot is flush with the outer end of the plug.

The best position for the expander in any given size of plug or for use with any given thickness of tire may be determined by experiments, and then such gage-knot may be held at a constant distance for that size and kind of tire.

I claim as my invention- 1. The method of repairing pneumatic tires, that consists, first, in forming a plug-socket through the wall of the tire and embracing a punctured part; second, inserting in said hole a plug having an expander-socket, and, third, forcing an expander into the body of the plug and securing the plug in place by means of an adhesive material, as cement, all substantially as described. p r

2. The method of repairing pneumatic tires for bicycles, that consists, first, in cutting a tapered hole through the wall of the tire and embracing a punctured part; second, smearing the walls of the hole with adhesive material, as rubber cement; third, placing a tapered perforated plug in the plug-socketin the tire; fourth, drawing an expander from within the tire into the substance of the plug by means of a string extending therethrough, and, fifth, trimming off the projecting end of the plug, all substantially as described.

CHARLES D. RICE.

Witnesses:

CHAS. L. BURDETT. GEO. H. DAY. 

